


The Star Will Shine

by Spacey Whales (Hetty_Mouse)



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairytale, F/F, Homophobia, Internalised Homophobia, Rating May Change, as does michelle, autistic Maureen, autistic michelle, but this is an au i get creative freedom, honestly this is a mix of so many fairytales, it's a pretty twisted fairytale, it's going to get angsty, it's gonna get angsty, it's gonna get dark, juuuust saying, maureen has chronic pain, maureen is human, michelle is not human, pretty sure homophobia isn't a thing in night vale, so sometimes i can't write, teen for swearing, this is slow to update bc I'm a mess and im v disabled, this was inspired by kill the lights by the birthday massacre
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-05-15 13:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5787679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hetty_Mouse/pseuds/Spacey%20Whales
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maureen meets a beautiful girl. Tall, well dressed, funny, smart and seriously cute. Everything Maureen has ever wanted in a partner. There's just three problems. 1: They're both girls. 2: She's a princess and Maureen isn't any form of nobility. And the big one, 3: She's cursed. </p><p>This is basically a mashup of many fairytales, never following the plot of any of them properly. Overall, beauty and the beast is the main one.</p><p>
  <b>Not abandoned! I'll be back!</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. After midnight, we're all the same

**Author's Note:**

> I sorta wrote half of this in the middle of a breakdown. I've done my best to correct any glaring errors, but forgive me if there's anything left.

Maureen looked out over the ballroom and sighed. She'd been here for half an hour and already she wanted to go home. Why had she let her parents push her into this…

Of course, she couldn't really not go after her “fairy godmother” had shown up and given her… Possibly the weirdest dress she'd ever seen. It was patchwork, made up of horribly clashing shades of green and purple. Still, it would seem ungrateful to not go, even if the dress was hideous and there was the whole “It will all vanish at midnight!” thing.

“Hey.”

Maureen jumped and looked round. There was a tall woman standing next to her, wearing a white ballgown, all sparkles and gemstones. Her posture was closed, arms close to her body, readjusting her sleeve and shifting from side to side. Contrasting her body language, she was smiling 

“Hey.” Maureen returned her smile.

“I like your dress.”

“H- Huh?”

“Your dress! It's hip.”

Maureen smiled. That was an interesting definition of hip but she'd take the compliment. “Thanks. I’m Maureen.”

“Michelle.”

“That’s a pretty name.” She paused. “You kinda look like you don’t want to be here.”

“Yeah, I don’t. It’s so… Mainstream.” She pulled a disgusted face. “Ugh.”

Maureen chuckled. “I suppose it is. Too many people here for my tastes. One guy just made fun of my dress, then tried to hit on me.”

“Ew. Did you catch his name?”

“He introduced himself, but I’d lost interest at --” Maureen put on her best snob voice “-- “Well, that certainly is an… Interesting dress.” Dick.”

“Do you know where he is? I should probably get him thrown out.”

“He ran off when I threw my drink at him, I expect he’s gone home.” Maureen laughed. “Bastard thought he could get in my personal space like that.”

“Oh, I wondered what that commotion was earlier.”

“That would probably be it.” Michelle laughed and as she opened her mouth to speak, a man approached her, shoving Maureen out the way.

“My lady.” He bowed. “May I have this dance?”

She folded her arms. “Zero on the approach, zero on the introduction, one on the request, zero on originality and zero on manners. With an overall score of one out of fifty, absolutely not.”

The man’s face was priceless. He looked so horribly offended. It was all Maureen could do not to laugh. He took a breath. “Well… If you change your mind, I'll be around.”

“I won't change my mind.” The man glared at the pair and stalked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Maureen burst out laughing. “Oh my god, that was amazing!”

Michelle smiled. “Thanks.” She paused, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “If we head out onto the balcony, nobody will bother us. Well, sometimes people go out there for whatever reason but they usually want privacy, they’ll go when they see us.”

Maureen nodded, smiling.

“This way.” Michelle headed off, moving at quite a reasonable pace, considering her dress.

Maureen hurried after her and stepped out into the cool air. Michelle pushed the door shut behind them, shutting out the sound of the ballroom, but for the muffled rumble of many voices talking at once.

“Thank god. It was really claustrophobic in there,” said Maureen, walking over to the edge of the balcony. Michelle moved to stand next to her, shoes clacking against the ground, sounding almost too loud in the quiet of the balcony. “It was.”

“It’s good to get some fresh air.”

Michelle nodded. “So, what brings you here?”

Maureen laughed. “My parents. ‘Go out! Have some fun for once, Maureen!’ So, I told them I didn’t have anything to wear and they backed down but then my… He introduced himself as my Fairy Godmother showed up and magicked up --” Maureen gestured at her dress. “ -- This. It seemed ungrateful to not go, after he’d gone to that trouble.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow. “You have a Fairy Godmother?”

“Apparently. I didn’t know until today.”

They stood in silence for a while. It wasn’t awkward, more peaceful.

After a while, the band in the ballroom started playing, the music muffled but audible. A thought occurred to Maureen. A thought she shouldn't have. A bad thought.

Eventually, she spoke. “Um… M- May I have this dance?” Michelle stared at her, her expression unreadable. Maureen felt sick. She shouldn’t have asked that, she really shouldn’t have asked that. Getting thrown out was the best case scenario and she didn't want to think about the worst case scenario.

“Yeah, alright.” Michelle smiled.

_Oh thank god._ Maureen realised she'd been holding her breath. Allowing herself to breathe again, she stepped forward and rested one hand on Michelle’s waist, taking her hand. The two of them moved in time to the music. Michelle was a good dancer, in contrast to Maureen’s somewhat clumsy steps. Still, Michelle didn't say anything. Neither did Maureen, the idea of talking seemed wrong.

Gradually, they grew closer together, neither of them realising they were doing it. Without thinking, Maureen moved to kiss Michelle and immediately found Michelle’s hand on her chest, shoving her away. “No!” she snapped.

“O- Oh g-god I'm sorry, I'm sorry, s-sorry! I- I didn't t- think! P- Please don't t-tell anyone!”

“No, it's not that! I… I want to but… Don't you know who I am?”

“W- Well, I- I know you're Michelle…”

“Princess Michelle.”

Maureen’s eyes widened. Princess Michelle. It all made sense now!

“The cursed princess…” murmured Maureen.

“Yep, that's me. ‘She will die on her 20th birthday, unless given a kiss out of true love. A kiss of selfish intentions will kill it’s giver.’ Ha. 19 and never been kissed.” A bitter smile spread across her face. “Just six months left.”

“You’ll find someone,” Maureen reassured her. She wasn't sure how true that statement was. She hoped it was true. She didn't like lying. She didn't want Michelle to die.

“Hm.” Michelle looked skeptical. They stood in silence again. This time it was uncomfortable.

Maureen caught a glimpse of the clock through the window. Five to 12. _Shit_. “I- I have to go. It’s almost midnight and you know what fairies are like with midnight.”

Michelle shrugged. “It's cool.” She seemed upset. _Damnit_.

“Can I see you again?”

“Sure! Go in through the servant's door, ask the chef for me. She’ll come and fetch me.”

Maureen smiled. “Thank you, prin-”

Michelle raised a finger.

“Michelle.”

“See you soon,” said Michelle.

“Yes!” Maureen took off, dodging the partygoers. Maybe her parents had been right, she should get out more often.


	2. Every story's a waiting game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michelle and Maureen make some cakes and annoy a small boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cries.... It's been so long since I updated... I swear I haven't abandoned it....

It was unusually cold for October, snow was already falling heavily. Maureen pulled her coat closer around her, shivering.. She raised her hand to the door, hoping it was the right one. Gathering her courage, she knocked. 

A few minutes passed. She knocked again. This time it was answered, by a short woman. She looked tired. “Yeah?”

“I’m looking for the cook?” 

“This way.” The woman set off, walking quickly. Maureen hurried along behind her, struggling to keep pace. 

They stepped into the kitchens. They were considerably bigger than any Maureen had ever seen before. She had expected smaller, though she wasn’t sure why, there were a lot of people in the castle.  

The woman pointed at a middle-aged, tall man stirring a large pot. “That’s him.”

Maureen smiled. “Thank you.”

She shrugged and walked away, seemingly in a hurry. Maureen hoped she hadn’t interrupted anything important. 

She walked over to the man and paused. “Um.. Excuse me?”

The man looked around, continuing to stir. “Yes?”

“My name’s Maureen, I’m looking for Michelle?”

“Ohh, Yes, she told me to look out for you. Kylie!” 

A young woman- No, girl, she looked about 16, presumably Kylie, hurried over. “Yes, Miss?” 

“Go fetch Michelle, tell her Maureen’s here to see her.” 

“Yes, Sir.” She ran off, tripping on her skirt and stumbling before hurrying on. Maureen frowned a little, feeling sorry for the girl. 

“Here, sit down.” The cook pulled out a chair for her. Maureen sat down, feeling very out of place. Was she in the way? Was she making the servant’s jobs more difficult? She’d certainly made Kylie’s life more difficult. 

Her panicked thoughts were interrupted by the cook. “My name’s Earl.” 

“Maureen.” She sighed at herself. “But you already know that…”

He laughed a little. “It’s okay.”

Maureen looked around. “Everyone seems a little… Rushed off their feet.”

Earl’s smile faded. “Mm. The king keeps us busy.”

“Can I help? I can bake!”

“Are you sure?” Earl asked. “You don’t have to.”

“I’m sure! Michelle might be a while, I might as well help out, yeah?”

Earl smiled. “Thank you. We’re making cakes over there. The queen is holding a banquet tonight, so there is a lot of work to be done.” 

“I’ll see what I can do.” 

Maureen walked over to what was apparently the cake making zone. “Can I help?”

Immediately a short boy handed her a wooden spoon. “Help us mix the batter.” 

Maureen rolled up her sleeves and did as she was told. Jeez, this stuff was sugary. 

“Maureen?” It was Michelle. 

“Oh, Michelle!” 

Michelle smiled a little. “That's me.” She was dressed… Interestingly today. Yellow shirt, green trousers, a blue hat with the widest brim she’d ever seen and a purple scarf. The shirt and trousers were huge on her, Maureen suspected they weren't hers. “Baking?” Michelle asked.

“Mmhm! I do a lot at home, I thought I could help out.”

“I’ll join in!” Michelle pushed her sleeves up and they immediately fell down again. “This is like, my brother’s shirt. He’s…” She giggled. “A little bigger than me. Just a little.”

“Let me give you a hand with that.” Maureen carefully rolled Michelle’s sleeves up so they’d stay. 

Michelle smiled, “Thank you.”

Maureen picked up a spoon and handed it to her.

“You might need to tell me what to do, my parents don’t usually, like, let me down here.”

“We’re just stirring here, Princess, though I think we need more eggs-” 

“Don’t even think about it,” said the same small boy who’d handed her the spoon. 

“Okay?”

“No more eggs.” He hurried off. 

“Okay, so, we’re just stirring.” Maureen laughed. 

Michelle grinned and dipped her spoon into the batter. Fascinated she moved  her spoon in patterns, watching the batter move to cover the lines she’d made. It was… Kind of adorable. 

“Never seen batter before?” Maureen asked.

“No… It’s, like… Weird. Kinda cool!” Michelle pushed her hair out of her eyes. “For something so mainstream, that is.”

“Damn. That means you’ve never tasted it!”

“Is that safe?”

“Well, that kid over there might get mad at us, but other than that, yep!” Maureen dipped her spoon into the batter and held it out to Michelle. She had expected Michelle to take the spoon off her, but she simply licked it, smearing some on her lip. Her eyes widened. “That’s like, so sweet! Like… Cake in goo form?”

Maureen giggled. “That’s fairly accurate. Hey, you’ve got some batter on your lip.”

Michelle wiped her mouth, totally missing it. “Have I got it?”

“Nope. Uh, here.” Maureen gently wiped it off and for a moment their eyes met. The noise around them seemed to fade, it was just them, nobody else. 

“Hey, don’t eat the batter!” the kid snapped, and the spell was broken. 

Michelle turned, startled and the boy’s eyes widened. “P- Princess! I- I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Michelle shrugged. “Hey, it’s your batter, kid, I’m not gonna yell at you.” She smiled. “Shall we take a walk, get out the way?” she asked Maureen. 

Maureen nodded. The kid seemed relieved. Michelle hiked her trousers up and set off at a brisk pace, Maureen hurrying behind. 


	3. Her colours are paling in the falling rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maureen and Michelle wander the forest and listen to some interesting music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I update so damn slow, sorry! Anyway, here it is. Beeeees.

“Where are we going?” Maureen asked. They’d been walking for the past half hour and all they’d seen so far was trees. Maureen didn’t mind, she enjoyed Michelle’s company, but she couldn’t help but be curious.

“You’ll see!” Maureen wasn’t sure why she’d expected a different answer from the last five times she’d asked. Michelle was a woman of mystery.

Michelle stopped and Maureen walked into her. “S- Sorry!”

“It’s fine.” Michelle giggled a little. 

Maureen watched, bemused as Michelle started to climb up a tree. She leant over the branch and offered Maureen her hand. “Coming?” 

“H- Huh?”

“Like, up here! Coming?” 

“Sure?” Maureen took Michelle’s hand and, with her help, pulled herself up. 

“Come on!” Michelle caught hold of a branch above her head and swung up. 

Together, the two of them scrambled up progressively higher. Michelle’s climbing was skillful, practiced. She’d clearly done this before. Maureen threw a glance downward and her head spun. They were very high up. She quickly turned her gaze back to the task at hand, the view upwards was better anyway. 

Not far from the top, Michelle stopped. Maureen shuddered, the branches were thin up here. 

“You okay?” asked Michelle. 

“Y- Yeah! We’re just… Pretty high.” Maureen clambered onto the branch Michelle was on, gasping as it bent. After a couple of seconds, she let out the breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding. 

“Like, afraid of heights?” 

“Yeah,” murmured Maureen. 

Michelle wrapped an arm around her. “I won’t, like, let you fall.” Maureen blushed and quickly looked away to hide it. She looked out at the view and gasped. 

“Wow…”

“Yeah, the view is like, nice.” Michelle smiled. “Put your ear against the trunk.” 

Maureen raised an eyebrow but did as she was told. A high pitched, discoordinate humming was coming from the tree. There was no particular tune to it, every time it picked up something remotely musical there was an earsplitting screech and it returned to it’s tuneless whine. Logically, she should hate it. But she didn’t. It was kind of nice. 

“What is it?” Maureen asked.

“There’s, like, a beehive in there.”

“But don’t bees… Buzz?” asked Maureen. 

“Not these ones. I like, added some stuff to the nearby flowers, like, so they’d get it in the pollen. It’s like, harmless, it just makes them make that noise.”  

Michelle was clearly proud of herself for her creation. She must have put  _ a lot  _ of work into it. 

“It sounds really good.”

Michelle’s eyes widened. “You think so?” She quickly wiped the startled expression from her face, returning to her usual “I don’t care” look. “I mean like, obviously it does. But people don’t tend to, like,  have the same tastes as me. Ugh.”

“I like it! It’s soothing.”

Michelle’s lips split into a smile. She had a lovely smile. Her lipstick was smeared at the side, a little flick of blue against her skin. Maureen reached out wiping it away with her index finger and Michelle’s smile widened. Maureen took Michelle’s hand and, smiling, Michelle met her gaze. Time seemed to move slowly. Maureen felt completely in the moment, nothing faded into the background. The birds, tweeting happily away, the crickets, chirping, so far below and, faintly, the hum of the bees. None of these sounds drew her attention from Michelle. Her deep brown eyes, her wavy, black hair, her lips… 

_ No.  _ Every part of her body was screaming to kiss her, but she couldn’t. It’d kill her, she knew that. But god, did she want to.

“Maureen?” Michelle’s voice derailed her train of thought.

“H- Hm? Oh! Zoned out a bit there.” Maureen smiled. 

There was a silence. Not awkward, just a silence. 

“Y’know, I’ve never brought anyone out here before.” 

“You haven’t?”

“Nah. I didn’t like, want anyone to hear it. People ruin things. It’s better to be alone.” Michelle hid it well, but she was lonely. 

“You brought me,” Maureen said. 

“Yeah.” Michelle smiled. “I did.” 

Maureen lent against her, relaxed, despite the height. “Thank you.”

“I… Thought you might like it.”

“I do! I really do.” Maureen looked up at her. “Promise.”

“Thanks.”

This close together, she could smell Michelle’s perfume. It smelt of peaches. There was a hint of woodsmoke, and cake too. Was it perfume? Either way, she smelt good. Maureen closed her eyes. It was easier to pretend she wasn’t 100 feet off the ground when her eyes were closed. 

After a few minutes Maureen’s trance was broken when Michelle swore loudly.  

“Huh? What is it?”

“I gotta get back, like, now.”

“Wha- Why?”

“It’s not important but like, I gotta move.” Michelle’s voice was calm but her body language said otherwise. She was tense, eyes flicking around, chewing her lip. 

“Right, let’s go,” said Maureen. 

Michelle moved down the tree, dropping between branches. How she didn’t fall, Maureen had no clue. She stopped at the bottom. “Come on!”

“S- Sorry!” called Maureen, who was only halfway down the tree. Michelle chewed her fingers. 

Maureen reached the bottom, dropping the last couple of branches, twinges of pain shooting up her legs from her ankles. 

“We really gotta go. Like, now.” Michelle didn’t wait for an answer, taking off at a run. Maureen followed, struggling a little to keep up with her. 

Out of breath, the two girls reached the castle. 

“I’ll seeya, Maureen.” Michelle kissed her fingertips and pressed them to Maureen’s lips, then darted into the castle. 

Maureen waited until the door was closed, then squealed with excitement.  _ She kissed me! Okay, not really, but as close as her curse will let her! _ She flapped her hands a little, calming down. As her excitement faded, Maureen realised she was concerned, why had Michelle rushed back like that? 

Mind weighed down with troubles, Maureen headed home in the grey light of dusk. 


End file.
